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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. current — happening now
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — to wash
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — to grow
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com